The assailants forced store owner Youssef Chehouri, 61, and his 57-year-old wife, Talje, behind the counter. When one of the gunmen discovered that the cash register was empty, police said, he searched Youssef Chehouri's pockets, which contained about $800.

The men, according to police, also took a purse that contained $500.

Chehouri attempted to follow the men, but he lost sight of them as they fled on Fountain Street, police said.